PITTSBURG — Humboldt High’s softball team saw its season ended with the pitching of St. Mary’s Colgan pitcher Kaitlin Crossland Wednesday.
Crossland, who had tossed a five-inning no-hitter earlier in the day against Northeast, shut down the Lady Cubs as well with a three-hit shutout to win, 5-0 in the Class 2-1A Regional Championship..
“They played hard,” head coach Brad Piley said. “We just couldn’t get anything going against Colgan’s pitcher.”
Earlier in the day, the Lady Cubs secured the title game berth with a 9-5 victory over Oswego.
And they had a chance to ding the Panthers in the bottom of the third of the title game.
Madison Riebel led off the frame with a single before Laken Hunter and Kirstyn Murrow both walked to load the bases with one out.
But Karley Wools’s fly ball to the outfield became an inning-ending double play when the Panthers were able to throw out a Lady Cub runner at the plate to preserve a 2-0 lead.
Crossland also was Humboldt’s chief nemesis at the plate.
She smacked a leadoff home run to start the second inning to push the Panthers up 1-0. A pair of doubles in the top of the third made it 2-0.
There it stood, until Crossland’s one-out triple in the top of the seventh keyed a three-run rally to cap the scoring.
Brooklyn Ellis pitched a complete game for Humboldt. She struck out four while giving up 12 hits over seven innings.
Kady Hart and Carsyn Haviland had Humboldt’s other hits, both singles. Hart also stole a base.
THE WIN OVER Oswego featured production up and down the lineup.
Humboldt scored two runs in the first, second and third innings and one in the fourth to take a 7-2 lead.
Oswego pulled to within 7-5 in the top of the sixth, but the Lady Cubs responded with two in the bottom of the inning to quell any drama.
Ellis picked up the win, going all seven innings, while surrendering nine hits with three strikeouts.
